Confused about DRK complaints

[Kytori]

So I've been reading a lot of posts talking about how DRK's are MP vacuums and I don't quite understand this.

I'm not insanely far into DRK but from what I can tell, DRK's use MP pretty scarcely. A bit for the first bit of a pull with Unleash but after that, there's no real reason to use anything that consumes MP unless your popping DPS while your tanking. Like anything involving Dark Arts is, if memory serves, a long CD of like 60s for each. Any time you aren't try to haul DPS, you probably shouldn't even have darkside on. Am I just not far enough into the class to see the use of all the MP skills or is this just the fact that people feel the need to use all the skills available to them so they make otherwise bad rotation choices?

Note: I consider a tank's job to be pretty much strictly hold aggro off of mobs unless there's some sort of mechanic the tank needs to tend to. DPS checks and the such where the extra DPS is nice.

[Timat]

You should never ever let Dark Side fall off. It is ment to stay on and be kept on.

Do you have dark arts? Because that is where the main MP consumption comes from. I remeber pre DA I had no problems with MP and using it at a whim, DA changes things drastically.

And no DA isnt just used for 60sec CDs. Souleater (which provides a self heal) is also a part of tanking, as is AoE with DA + Drain. Tanks while mainly hold threat are also expected to put out REASONABLE DPS. They arent going to top the charts but they should be able to dish out some pain.

Again if you have not gotten DA then you dont have the full picture. And if you are not using DS 24/7 you are doing it wrong.

[OliviaBadger]

snip.

Darkside should be up 100% of the time. There isn't any good reason not to have it up. Not to mention the fact that several of your skills can't even be used when not in darkside, you're just doing less damage and less aggro. Dark Arts can be used on a lot of things, both for more damage and more mitigation.

Examples :
Dark Arts with Dark Dance - adds 20% evasion to the 30% extra parry - great mitigation in big packs
Dark Arts with Souleater - 400 potency instead of 260, bigger self heal, more damage
Dark Arts with Dark Passenger - adds blind effect - enemies more likely to miss - more mitigation
Dark Arts with Abyssal Drain - absorbs AOE damage as HP

Several CDs and Dark Arts cannot be used when not in Darkside.

Sure, you can play DRK by never using Dark Arts and not having Darkside on, but youre missing out on 50% of its potential

[EJVega22]

I'm lvl 60 and have done everything on DRK. I can proudly say MP Management is a joke.

[Slappah]

I'm lvl 60 and have done everything on DRK. I can proudly say MP Management is a joke.

Well how complex do you expect it to be?...

[Kytori]

Yeah, I haven't gotten Dark Arts yet. So far, a simple Unleash, maybe two, then rotate between targets and pop a little aggro on each is usually pretty sufficient to tank most trash mobs. Boss fights aren't much more difficult. So far, holding aggro is almost boring. I do relatively decent damage even with grit but putting on Darkside without having Dark arts is just a MP drain that may prevent me from using Unleash when something happens. Shrug. That's how it seems so far.

[Kiteless]

Basically, you haven't played DRK yet.

[Darkobra]

I'm lvl 60 and have done everything on DRK. I can proudly say MP Management is a joke.

I'd be hard-pressed to brag about skill in an MMO.

[SpookyGhost]

I'd be hard-pressed to brag about skill in an MMO.

Well, this one at least.

[Tila]

They couldn't make Darkside to complicated because in end game content there is already so much a tank has to keep an eye on. It's at a sweet spot now where many people simply don't manage it well and are therefore unskilled, and those who have a decent rotation down and have no issue.

Content is based on rotations, Dark Side was no doubt going to end up being rolled into the basic tanking rotation. They couldn't make it a random system of struggling to keep it up since that eliminates DRK flexibility. So you now have people who have their rotations down complaining its too easy, but what did they expect? The alternate would have been chaos, and therefore, none-viable for tanking.